wight



UNITED STATES BATENT OFFICE.

GEO. W. WIGHI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SCREW-PRESS FOR PACKING-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,773, dated June 7, 1858.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. VVIGHT, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Oontrivance for Forcing Down the Lids or Tops of Boxes in which Dry Goods and other Articles are Packed; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l, is a plan o-r top view of the apparatus. Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the same, as it appears in, and out of operation. A portion of the same is shown in section; also the box as being packed with goods.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

This invention relates to a novel and useful method of forcing down the tops of packing boxes, and retaining them firmly in their place, while the screws or nails are being inserted, whereby the necessity of raising the box from the floor to introduce hooks or a bar under the box, as commonly done, is avoided. And it consists in having a peculiar bent swinging arm or catch-lever, attached to, and working freely on, a pin, in each end of a cross-piece or yoke; the said crosspiece and levers being connected to a strong flat piece of board, or a follower, by means of a screw, which follower rests upon the top of the box, and forces it down perfectly tight, when the vertical screw is turned; for it will be seen that this operation causes t-he cross piece to rise, and consequently the catch levers to be drawn inward and upward, and the catches on the same to take fast into the side of the box; it is by thus bending the levers and causing the catches to take into the lsides of the box, as the cross piece is raised, that the power of the screw is made eiectual in screwing or forcing the lid or top down.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it more minutely.

A, represents the vertical screw; it is passed through the cross-piece, B, and screwed into the follower, C, which bears on the tops of the box, D, as shown in Fig. 2.

B, is the cross-piece, which carries the two swinging arms, or bent knee levers, E E, which have a catch, F, on each of their lower ends; the said catches taking into the wood, when the lid or top is being forced down. These levers are attached to the cross piece, B, by the pins, a, a, upon which they swing in and out; there being slots, Z), cut in the ends of the cross piece for these levers to play freely in. They also work in and out in slots, f, f, cut, in the ends of the piece, C.

G, is the nut in which the screw A works up and down when it is desired to force down the box top and when it is desired to unscrew the apparatus, so as to place it on another box, requiring the top to be forced down.

By/examining, Fig. 2, the operation of this contrivance will be clearly seen, the same being shown in full black lines, in the position which it occupies when the lid, s, is up or not forced down; and, in full red lines, when the lid or top is forced down; the lid being shown raised in blackv lines, and nearly down in red lines.

Ihe simple construction, and yet very effectual operation, of this apparatus, it is thought will be very readily seen and appreciated by those acquainted with the old process of forcing the lid down, so as to be in a fit position to have the screws or nails inserted; it being now commonly done by applying the weight to the top of the box, and thereby only ineifectually forcing the lid down to its proper place.

I do not claim the crosspiece, B, the form of said crosspiece not being novel; nor do I claim the vertical portions of the arms or levers, E, E, with the hooks on their lower ends, these being common and not new, and I do not claim their combination with the crosspiece, B, which, I believe to be in common use; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The bending of the upper portion of the arms or levers, E, E, from a vertical position, and tending toward each other until they reach and are joined to a crosspiece or yoke, B, by joints at any desired point between the center of said yoke, and the vertical portions of the uprights-thereby giving an oblique or inward direction to the hooks, F, F, when the yoke is caused to rise by the operation of a vertical screw.

GEO. W. TWIGrIfIT.

Witnesses:

F. B. Doen, H. M. ROBINSON. 

